


The Apple Of Her Eye

by JosivChrisma



Series: Stories of Sara 'The Storm' Ryder and Cora 'The Commando' Harper [3]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Cussing, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Girls with Guns, Outer Space, Relationship(s), Romantic Fluff, blabbering, pun intended, stiff drinks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-12-05 20:36:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11585730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JosivChrisma/pseuds/JosivChrisma
Summary: It’s hardly the most romantic place in Heleus but Sara and Cora find themselves in a booth sipping on daring concoctions from the Vortex bar.





	The Apple Of Her Eye

**Author's Note:**

> Here I go again, blabbering into oblivion about this kick-ass pairing. 
> 
> Where Cora ponders and Sara is a crude flirt.
> 
> Enjoy.

It’s hardly the most romantic place in Heleus but Sara and Cora find themselves in a booth sipping on daring concoctions from the Vortex bar.

Cora ordered something called 'La stiff', as per instructions from Sara, who had tried every drink available. As suggestive as its name sounds and as reluctant as she was giving her order to Anan T'Mari, 'La Stiff' was a drink created for the classy individual who enjoyed their drinks like they enjoyed their guns. Powerful with a good kickback.

Sara says it would suit Cora and that she would enjoy it, funnily enough, she does. It offers a pleasant kick indeed, almost enough to match her beloved disciple shot gun.

The commando possessed a different sort of class. She could wield a shot gun with incredible force; deliver a healthy biotic charge to her foes; form a biotic barrier that could deflect incoming fire from a Kett ship and probably kick an ass back to the Milky Way if she wanted to.

But right now in this booth, watching her Pathfinder slash girlfriend down the second half of her 'Reminisce', a drink that paid homage to the Milky Way - she was a vulnerable, gun-less Cora Harper.

They catch each others eyes for a brief moment then Sara says something that makes her spray a bit of alcohol down her front. "So, how's your stiffy?" Cora just nudges her side while the sound of Sara's sweet laugh fills her ears. To her it sounds better than the music thumping inside the club. "You're horrible you know that, Ryder?" Sara just smiles down at her while she latches onto Cora's free hand, "says the one with the dirty mind, I was talking about your drink.

Their hands are calloused in some places, signs of hard work. Cora's rolling her hazel eyes back at her and mouths something along the lines of 'bullshit'. The Lieutenant liked to think that her mind was pure compared to Sara's filthy one.

* * *

An asari huntress once told a curious Cora while discussing the process of melding, that couples tend to evolve into a single entity after spending a considerable amount of time together. Things like mimicking behavior and minds becoming in-sync, this was without melding too.

Her and Ryder had only known each other for less than a year, and have been dating for less than a few months. Sure they've been joined at the hip ever since Cora let her barriers fall, finally coming to the realisation that Sara was born to lead as Pathfinder and openly vowing to never leave her side. But even that wasn't long enough to count as a 'considerable amount of time'.

Their chemistry is hard to miss though. The very air around them vibrates with an undeniable energy even inside this very club. Sara's green eyes dance under the soothing glow of neon lights, as she nods her head to the heavy bass while Cora ponders on this thought.

Perhaps the asari was telling the truth after all, or Sara's just playing games like she always does. Always with a mouth full of wit. A bonafide buffoon.

If their personalities were truly merging, one way to confirm the theory is if people start referring to her as Lieutenant Harper the Clown.

* * *

 The club is packed at this time of the evening, most of its patrons consist of the Pathfinder team, some regulars and a few stragglers from around the Nexus. Their on shore leave for a few days so their allowed to let loose before their off again embarking on missions around the galaxy.

No one would have thought how popular the place would become now that more people were slowly being released out of cryostasis. What started off as a joke consisting of chemistry test tubes and a few friends had now turned itself into a full blown club that operated on a 24 hour basis on the Nexus hub. Sure it was nothing like the hype of the Silversun Strip but it still offered Nexus residents and its visitors an opportunity to have fun or to drown ones sorrows in this new galaxy.

The bartender Dutch worked as a chemist, his assistant Anan T’Mari a part time botanist and with their combined knowledge the pair decided to do a collaboration which turned out to be the best move of their careers. They were making a killing on the Nexus.

Not many people are aware of it but the Pathfinder and her team played a huge part in bringing the place to life. Scouring the galaxy for rare ingredients while carrying out dangerous missions across Havarl and Kadara. It wasn’t just a walk in the park either, they basically risked their lives to collect hops and samples just so Dutch and Anan could expand their menu of death-defying drinks and because the Pathfinder could never say no to anyone who needed assistance.

Cora remembers being against the idea from the time Sara sprung it on her, only because it wasn't a priority. But since the bar owners requirements were en-route to their prioritised Heleus assignments, Cora made the exception, but only for that reason. Not so they could aid in getting people drunk on the Nexus.

Since then, Sara and her team had become the clubs VIP’s with free drinks on offer and first dibs on the best seats in the house. Not to mention having access to rare beverages from their private stocks hidden behind the counter.

That was all Sara's doing though, that silver tongue and her apt for diplomacy.

* * *

 A club wasn’t exactly Cora’s scene, everyone was aware of it too. She had seen her fair share of binge drinking nights in dingy clubs back in the Milky Way. That was before her studies and training commenced under Talein’s daughters. Although when she was off duty and no longer a human-asari commando, just Cora Harper, she would often get up to mischief on shore leave.

There were the one night stands, the heavy intakes of alcohol that almost landed her in an infirmary and the infamous hangovers. But when it came to business and her duties, her head was always in the game without a fail.

These days she would rather nestle somewhere comfortable with a view and sip on Milky Way wine while Sara talks about everything and anything. Much like now, minus the sea of dancing bodies in front of them.

Sara leans in close to speak, now that the music's been turned up a notch. Her long eyelashes brush against Cora's cheeks every time she blinks. "I'm glad you decided to come tonight," Sara says, inching ever so closely to her. Cora's aware of how close their lips are now. "I blame it on the soft spot." This amuses Sara, anything that comes out of her mouth seems to do the trick.

Cora ends up rolling her eyes again when Sara's fingers start trailing up her thigh along with having the audacity to ask her which soft spot she is referring to. Cora ends up laughing though.

Sara provided the best company, so it didn't really bother her when she asked Cora to join her and the crew for a night out. Whether it be out there in the galaxy fighting their ass' off on the field or just relaxing together in the Tempest, no matter the time or place, Sara was all she needed.

Being with Ryder meant she had to step out of her comfort zone, not that she minded. But then again, she was so smitten with Ryder. Her usual normalities were simply shot of the air lock ever since the pair had gotten close, although she still preferred a bit of order and stability in her life, which Sara respected greatly, no questions asked.

Being with her was like a powerful but pleasant punch in the face. Cora thinks about it now and wonders how much of an impact the Pathfinder has made on her life, in less than a year for that matter.

* * *

 What happened to the strait laced commando who followed everything by the manual? The lieutenant who walked with her back as straight as a rod and who’s hands were practically glued to her back? The second in-command who was all business and no play? The biotic who could blow the ass off an APC and the soldier who could wield a shotgun like she was born to do so?

Cora was still those things but now that her and Sara had made things official, she felt like a completely different person. Being with her brought on a welcoming change to her persona.

Back in the Milky Way, Cora was known for being a reputable force of nature, a woman few dared to cross due to her biotic finesse and she was very much aware of her reputation at the time. Although it wasn’t her intentions to be labelled a ‘bad-ass’ or the ‘highly proficient biotic’, news spread like wild-fire and it just happened.

But now that Cora was romantically involved with the Pathfinder, it was like having rose petals thrown at her feet everywhere she walked.

* * *

 The dimmed club offers enough light for Cora to appreciate the girl sitting next to her. Staring was a bad habit she couldn't seem to kick, but then again both of them couldn't keep their eyes of each other at times. Sara is oblivious to her own rugged radiance, but Cora sees it clearly. 

While they were out doing business on the Nexus a few weeks ago, some young buck even went as far as calling her a goddess and a sex symbol. Sara laughs in his face, slaps the poor guy and tells him to stop talking shit. He walked away fan-boying, if that even was a thing.

Cora remembers it clearly and now that she thinks about it, there is some truth to his words. But underneath all that high-class armour. Underneath the facade. The Pathfinder was just, Sara Ryder. Her Sara Ryder.

The Lieutenant has witnessed first hand the ways in which others react in Sara’s presence. There’s the swooning and the relentless flirting, which she secretly cannot stand. No one has tried it lately especially now that their dating, but when they do, things tend to get rather heated very quickly.

Cora has never known herself to be the jealous type, this being her first serious relationship, Sara makes her do crazy things that she’s sure is unhealthy on her behalf. Cora doesn’t want to have to deal with potential threats so early into their relationship, that, plus the million other things that need tending to in Heleus. Although Ryder has made it very clear that their both taken.

Men and women have tried it on Cora too and Sara’s always there to cause a stir. On one occasion Sara told a heavily tattooed woman she could try but not without her fist in the way. The woman basically skips away with her tail tucked between her legs the moment Sara stands up and flexes her arms in her direction. Sara is intimidating due to her 6 ft something frame along with being built like a vanguard soldier. She’s not serious though, never is. So when the woman is out of air-shot she’s chuckling like a little girl.

Cora was afraid Sara was might do something stupid but a harmless proposition meant her energy could be reserved for something that was really worth getting in a huff over.

Like the time when Sara was having the shittiest day and an idiot decides to do something he would probably regret for the rest of his life. An exile goon the size of a small mountain casually squeezes Cora’s ass while their in Kadara Port. Sara flattens the mountainous man without hesitation, no words just actions.

To this day the poor guy probably still doesn’t know what hit him that day. Everyone seemed to be inside the main courtyard when it happened too, and after Sara’s brief display of a ‘don’t fuck with my woman’ beating, everyone wanted to buy them both a drink. The news of the Pathfinder taking down one of Kadara's well-known thugs even slipped through Sloane Kelly's ear then out the other.

Since then no one dared to even look at the Lieutenant let alone breathe in her direction. As far as the entirety of Kadara’s residence were concerned, anyone by the name of Cora Harper was off limits.

There was a difference between harmless flirtation and a lack of respect and Sara made sure that whoever displayed the latter when it concerned Cora, wouldn’t walk away without paying the price.

The commando was more than capable of holding her own but Sara was a courteous woman who ensured that she wouldn’t have to lift a finger. As far as the Pathfinder was concerned, absolutely no one laid their filthy hands on her girlfriend.

* * *

 Sara has her toned arm around the Lieutenant, occasionaly fumbling with the fabric of her shirt while Cora has her leg draped over Sara's thigh. She may as well be sitting on her, Sara would probably enjoy it that's for sure.

Their emptying their glasses at a safe pace while everyone else seems to be drowning themselves with so much piss it's almost worrying. However this place was tame compared to the wild clubs of Kadara Port and it's slums.

Some of the clubs patrons pass by and greet them. While others linger around with stars in their eyes. Sara despises the attention but puts on a front. Their taking in the Lieutenant's presence as well but it's the Pathfinder's aura that draws people in. But Sara always keeps Cora close by, ensuring her full attention be reserved for none other than her.

Much like now when Sara's fingers start tracing lines down Cora's jawline and she's leaning in whispering, warm breath against her ear. "Shucks you're so fucking irresistible," Sara mutters, catching the sly grin on Cora's lips. The sensation of being caressed in such a way proves too much for the Lieutenant to handle, along with Sara's relentless flirting and need for intimacy throughout the night. 

Cora wants her, yes, but not in this damn club. Public affection wasn't her thing, she preferred privacy. But Sara was bold and daring both on and off the field, always has been. Self-control is hard to come by, especially when Sara the incorrigible flirt makes tempting offers even she cannot refuse.

* * *

 Cora doesn’t blame the galaxy for having a certain fascination with the Pathfinder, she can capture anyone with her beauty, intelligence, charm and strength. It’s a deadly combo and Cora knows it.

Then there’s the ones who simply live in fear of her, afraid they might combust on eye contact. Cora doesn’t blame them either because Sara has the power to morph into an unstoppable storm during battle. Along with the fact that she can be just as brutal with her words as much as she is staring down the barrel of a gun.

But in truth, when it’s time to lay down her weapons, she’s more like the sun with a heart of gold. The importance of separating ones duty from ones personal life can be difficult, but Sara has mastered it.

Another reaction that happens to make Cora’s blood boil is the pure hatred that Sara has encountered abroad. Not everyone is a fan of the human Pathfinder and people aren’t afraid to tell it to her face. The Pathfinder simply takes it on the chin, laughs it off and brushes it off like stubborn Eos dust.

It’s a typical 'Sara Ryder' reaction, while Cora just stands there clenching her fists so tight she almost disperses charge from her fingers. A blast from her disciple is subtle punishment to what her hands can do.

Sara has the power to calm her down instantly though, whether it be with a few spoken words, a soft stare, a dimpled grin or a chaste kiss upon her flaring cheeks. All in assurance, it works, it always does.

Now she goes and pulls another 'Sara Ryder' and her calming effects are doing quite the opposite now that she's leaning over to kiss Cora's supple cheeks.

More like heady effects now that Sara's nimble fingers are playing with the stubborn little tuft of hair on her head. The one that Ryder finds adorable but she keeps trying to smooth over until she ends up saying 'fuck it' to her reflection in the mirror.

But it's not the kiss nor the twirling of her little tuft of her hair that makes Cora lose it. It's because Sara goes and says something that kills their moment of intimacy, something like, "Cora Harper will you dance with me?" Cora cocks an impeccable eyebrow up at Ryder, expecting her to come out with the gag. But no, Sara is dead serious for once.

Sara Ryder makes her do crazy things, but this just takes the cake.

**Author's Note:**

> Possible chapter 2 for this story, 'pending 'pon how I feel. 
> 
> I have a hard time picturing the lieutenant dancing because Cora Harper does not dance. Hehe.
> 
> We'll see.
> 
> Thank you for your time!


End file.
